Excavations took place in the locality of Pozzo Seccato where research undertaken from 1997 onwards by the University of Salento has revealed the presence of a fortified farm. The structure, built in the late 4th century B.C., had a quadrangular plan (72 × 65 m) and was occupied until the mid-1st century A.D. (Fig, 1). Excavations were carried out in the settlement’s central sector, an area west of the look-out tower (D) and south of the granary (B), in the area of the stable©, and of the complex with tower that had residential and production functions (A) (Fig. 2). In this area, in 2017, a rectangular room was identified (G9 (Fig. 3), on an east-west alignment. Part of the north wall was uncovered, made of squared limestone blocks (US 1219), together with the cuts in the bed-rock for housing the west wall (US 1220). About 3 m south-west of the wall (US 1219), there was a beaten surface of whiteish crushed tufa (US 1212), covering an area of 5 × 5 m.
The aim of the 2018 excavations was to clarify the function of room G. The first intervention took place outside the room in an area measuring 3 × 4 m, west of the cuts in the bed-rock (US 1220). The first task involved the removal of a layer of gravel relating to the make-up of the asphalt road that until 2008 crossed the site. This revealed an accumulation of dark brown soil mixed with pottery and brick fragments (US 1232). A dark soil (US 1230) containing impasto pottery, dating to the proto-historic phases of the site, was present in the vicinity if the bed-rock (US 1220) outcrops.

Inside room G an area of 2.5 × 2.5 m was excavated, positioned at one metre south of wall US 1219 and characterised by rock outcrops at the centre and north-east and south-west corners (Fig. 4). In the northern half of the trench, a layer (US 1216), identified in 2017, containing abundant pottery – plain ware, banded ware and cooking ware, was removed. Below was a layer of greyish soil with concentrations of baked-clay (US 1237) constituting the remains of a hearth. The removal of the crushed tufa surface (US 1212) revealed: a) an arrangement of flat stones (US 1234) positioned so as to fill the gaps between the outcrops at the centre and south-west corner of the trench and level up the surface; b) at the south-east corner of the trench a layer of compact soil (US 1236) containing tile and pottery fragments similar to US 1216. The removal of US 1236 exposed a circular baked-clay structure, identified as a hearth (US1235). The layer of brown soil (US 1238) in contact with the hearth (US 1235) can be identified as an occupation layer.